“Don’t have to cry about it” – Tottenham player slams Antonio Conte after CL exit

Tottenham Hotspur crashed out of the Champions League after they failed to overcome a 1-0 deficit against AC Milan on Wednesday.

The tie in north London yesterday ended in a goalless draw and this was enough for the Serie A side to make it to the last eight of the competition.

Antonio Conte started Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski to lead Spurs’ attack against Milan. The Swede was replaced by Richarlison in the 70th minute.

During an interview with TNT Sports, Richarlison lashed out at Conte for leaving him out of the starting XI for the crucial European tie.

“That’s what I didn’t understand, too [being a substitute]. It was going well, in a good sequence, two wins against West Ham and Chelsea. Suddenly, he put me on the bench, against Wolverhampton he put me on for five minutes. I asked why, they didn’t tell me anything,” he said, relayed by ESPN Brasil.

“And, yesterday, they asked me to take a test at the gym, that if I was good, I would go to the game and, at the time of the game, they left me on the bench. These are things that it is not possible to understand. Let’s see what he will say tomorrow, but there are no fools here either, I’m a professional, I work every day and I want to play.”

The Brazil international joined Tottenham from Everton last summer and has featured 25 times, which includes 12 starts. He has two goals and three assists and is yet to score in the league. The South American isn’t pleased with how things have gone for him so far at Spurs.

“I suffered a little with the injury, but when I take the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that’s it, I think I should have played and I don’t have to cry about it,” Richarlison explained.

The ex-Everton man was critical of Tottenham’s performance against Milan and awaits the manager’s decision for the weekend clash against Nottingham Forest.

“We are out of the biggest club competition. We can’t play like that needing a goal, I think we had to put the team forward, especially in the second half. Now there’s not much to talk about either, it’s not to blame. What’s left for us is just the Premier League, it’s training tomorrow morning and going to the game against Nottingham Forest,” he said, as quoted by Gazeta Esportiva.

“Now it’s time to focus on the remaining games and score as many goals as possible, because the club paid dearly for me and so far, I haven’t responded on the field. Let’s see if he puts me in the starting line-up for the next game.”